Spirit Airlines Flight NK467 encountered severe turbulence on Friday, October 18, during its journey from Chicago to Los Angeles, resulting in passenger injury.

The Airbus A320neo aircraft registered as N956NK departed from Chicago O'Hare International Airport's gate L5 at 07:10, ahead of its scheduled departure time. The aircraft maintained normal operations during its initial ascent to cruising altitude.

Spirit Airlines Turbulence: One Injured

The turbulence incident, potentially caused by high winds near Santa Ana, prompted the airline to request emergency medical assistance. While initial reports suggested multiple injuries, medical teams treated only one passenger upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport.

Despite the midair disruption, Flight NK467 landed at LAX 25 minutes ahead of schedule at 09:28 local time, completing the four-hour and eighteen-minute journey. Los Angeles Fire Department and medical personnel met the aircraft at Terminal 5's gate 56A.

Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 confirms the aircraft's registration details and flight path. The turbulence event occurred amid high winds near Santa Ana, though investigators have not confirmed the exact location of the incident.

What Actually Happened?

The Airbus A320neo aircraft (registration N956NK, serial number 10857) departed Chicago O'Hare International Airport from gate L5 at 07:10. The departure preceded its scheduled time by ten minutes, with the aircraft executing an easterly departure before reaching its designated cruising altitude.

Spirit Airlines alerted ground emergency services about potential injuries aboard the flight, prompting the Los Angeles Fire Department to mobilize medical teams. Initial reports indicated six to eight possible injuries, though medical personnel treated only one passenger at LAX Terminal 5.

The flight maintained operational stability throughout the incident, completing its journey in four hours and eighteen minutes. The aircraft touched down at Los Angeles International Airport at 09:28 local time, arriving at gate 56A twenty-five minutes ahead of schedule.

The incident disrupted the aircraft's subsequent service, Flight NK1724 to Las Vegas, causing a 45-minute departure delay. The affected aircraft, N956NK, entered service with Spirit Airlines on May 25, 2002, following its first test flight under registration F-WZMO on May 12, 2002.

SMBC Aviation Capital owns and leases this 2.4-year-old A320neo to Spirit Airlines. The aircraft features two Pratt & Whitney PW1127G engines and operates in Spirit's standard all-economy configuration.

Spirit Airlines operates 70 active Airbus A320neos within its current fleet, with 21 additional units currently inactive or parked as per Planespotters.net data. These A320neos form part of Spirit's diverse 188-aircraft fleet, which includes A319-100s, A320-200s, A321-200s, and A321neos, all serving the carrier's ultra-low-fare business model.